Harkara
| Harkara | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ram Arun Castro |
| Written by | Ram Arun Castro |
| Produced by | Kalorful Beta Movement |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Philip R Sunder Lokesh Elangovan |
| Edited by | Dani Charles |
| Music by | Ramshanker |
Production company | Kalorful Beta Movement |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Harkara is 2023 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film directed by Ram Arun Castro and features himself in the titular role and Kaali Venkat.[1]
Cast
- Ram Arun Castro as Madheshwaran/Harkara[2]
- Kaali Venkat as Kaali
- Gowthami Chowdhry
- Nicolas Fuster
- Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan
- Pichaikaran Moorthy
Production
Production on the film began in 2014 under the title of Oattathoodhuvan and the directorship of Ra. Mu. Chidambaram, who revealed that the film would be based on Indian mail runners from the 1850s.[3] Ram Arun Castro, an engineering graduate from BITS Pilani, made his acting debut through the film, following two years of acting training with the New York Film Academy. The film's original producer opted out of the film before the start of the production phase, prompting Castro to take over as the film's lead producer. The film was shot throughout 2015 in a village in the Theni district, with sets made to replicate the area in 1854.[4] As the team sought distributors to help release the film, it was screened in the Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF), Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), and Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFF) among other ceremonies.[5]
In mid-2023, the film re-emerged again under the title of Harkara, with Ram Arun Castro revealed as the film's director. Castro had shot extra scenes for the film to include Kaali Venkat as a modern day postman, and prepared the film for release.[6][7]
A day prior to the eventual release of the film in August 2023, Chidambaram sought a permanent ban on the film stating that he was not given the due credits in the film and that he and Ram Arun Castro had equal shares in the project. Chidambaram's counsel noted that Castro had added a couple of scenes in the film, renamed it to Harkara without permission, and then taken solo credit as the writer and director.[8]
Music
The music for the film was composed by Ramshanker.[9]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ponniyamma" | R.Deepak Krishna | Pradeep Kumar Sinduri Vishal | 4:54 |
| 2. | "Kaali vs Gramam" | R.Deepak Krishna | Ramshanker S N Pavithraa | 3:18 |
| Total length: | 8:13 | |||
Reception
The film is was released on 25 August 2023[10].Raghav Kumar of Kalki Online wrote that "This film is dedicated to the postmen who are the face of this postal department."[11].Puthiya Thalaimurai critic gave two stars out of five and gave mixed review[12].Virakesari critic rated three out of five and noted that "One can heartily appreciate the fact that the director has created the work on the principle of 'art for the people' without making any compromises, especially without imposing any commercial aspects."[13].Jayabhuvaneshwari B of Cinema Express gave two point five out of five and noted that "All this said and done, Harkara does end with sweet surprises."[14]
References
- ^ Kumar, Ranjith (4 June 2023). "தபால்காரர் குலசாமியாக மாறிய கதை 'ஹர்காரா'". Kollywood News | Kollywood Images - Cinema.dinakaran.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ தினத்தந்தி (16 June 2023). "`ஹர்காரா' -தபால்காரர்களின் சவாலான வாழ்க்கையை பேசும் கதை". www.dailythanthi.com (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/mail-runner-makers-contributing-to-database-on-forgotten-messengers-115111901024_1.html
- ^ "The mail runner - The Hindu". web.archive.org. 2 June 2023.
- ^ Bureau, DTNEXT (25 August 2023). "Madras High Court bans 'Harkara' film a day before its release". www.dtnext.in.
- ^ "First look of Harkara out". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Harkara to release on August 25". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Harkara: All decks cleared, film on India's first postman to release tomorrow". OTTPlay.
- ^ "'ஹர்காரா' படத்தின் பிரத்தியேக காணொளி வெளியீடு". Virakesari.lk. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Harkara to release on August 25". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ ராகவ்குமார் (23 August 2023). "'ஹர்காரா' திரைப்பட விமர்சனம்!". Kalki Online (in Tamil). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ Johnson (24 August 2023). "Harkara Review | இன்னும் கொஞ்சமே மெனக்கெட்டிருக்கலாமே..!". Puthiyathalaimurai (in Tamil). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "திரை விமர்சனம் - ஹர்காரா". Virakesari.lk. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Harkara Movie Review: Weak screenplay pulls down this well-intended film". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 August 2023.